Martin Griffiths, the former under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator at the UN, has described aid drops as “a last resort”.

“They have lots of risks,” he told Al Jazeera.

“We’ve seen it happen already in this week of airdrops in Gaza; people hurt, wounded, killed on the ground because of the drops,” Griffiths said, adding there is “no system on the ground to … prevent looting and [to] get it to the right people”, he said.

Aid agencies have criticised air drops as ineffective and symbolic.

A plane load can typically only carry a quarter of an average truck’s capacity of 40 tonnes per load.

Opinion

Editorial

Budget presser
Updated 14 Jun, 2026

Budget presser

If the FBR falters, the government will find itself in hot water sooner rather than later.
Muharram precautions
14 Jun, 2026

Muharram precautions

WITH Muharram due to start next week, the authorities have already begun annual exercises to ensure that the ...
Blood bequests
14 Jun, 2026

Blood bequests

WORLD Blood Donor Day offers a moment of “gratitude, advocacy and renewed commitment” for thalassaemia patients...
Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...